US4799775A - Ferroelectric liquid crystal cells having a helical liquid crystal structure - Google Patents

Ferroelectric liquid crystal cells having a helical liquid crystal structure Download PDF

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Publication number
US4799775A
US4799775A US07/032,760 US3276087A US4799775A US 4799775 A US4799775 A US 4799775A US 3276087 A US3276087 A US 3276087A US 4799775 A US4799775 A US 4799775A
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liquid crystal
smectic
cell
crystal layer
phase
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US07/032,760
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English (en)
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William A. Crossland
Anthony B. Davey
Matthew F. Bone
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STC PLC
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STC PLC
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
    • G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
    • G02F1/137—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering
    • G02F1/139—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering based on orientation effects in which the liquid crystal remains transparent
    • G02F1/141—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering based on orientation effects in which the liquid crystal remains transparent using ferroelectric liquid crystals

Definitions

  • This invention relates to ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal cells.
  • the first types of liquid crystal cell to be used as display devices employed nematic or cholesteric phases. Those that operated in field effect mode could typically be operated with signal strengths of a few volts, but when the exciting field was removed, the liquid crystal always relaxed back into the same state within a short period of time. Then our UK Patent Specification No. 1557199 described how an electrically addressable non-volatile liquid crystal display can be provided. This employed a smectic A liquid crystal filling to provide bistability of operation. A drawback of this approach was that it required a significantly greater drive voltage. Later, in a paper entitled ⁇ Submicrosecond bistable electro-optic switching in liquid crystals ⁇ by N. A. Clark and S. T. Lagerwall appearing in Applied Physics Letters Vol.36 No. 11 pp 889-901 (June, 1980), a bistable cell switchable with smaller voltages was described that employed a ferroelectric smectic C liquid crystal filling.
  • ⁇ bistable ⁇ and ⁇ bistability ⁇ are used here and elsewhere in this specification in relation to a situation in which a liquid crystal is electrically switchable between two latching states that are optically distinct on a macroscopic scale so that under appropriate illumination conditions, for instance by direct viewing or by viewing in position between appropriately oriented crossed polarisers, the cell is cable of functioning as a display element electrically switchable between two latched conditions of contrasting appearance.
  • a smectic material In order to exhibit ferroelectricity, a smectic material must not only exist in an tilted smectic state such as Smectic C, I or F, but it must also be constituted by a material that is intrinsically chiral, or it must include a chiral constituent to provide chirality.
  • Smectic C, I or F tilted smectic state
  • a material that is intrinsically chiral or it must include a chiral constituent to provide chirality.
  • the chirality of a ferroelectric liquid crystal material in a C*, I* or F* phase means that its molecules have a natural tendency to align themselves in progressively different directions in succeeding smectic layers. If the layers are arranged in parallel planes this progression defines a helix, and the pitch of this helix is typically in the region of 2 to 3 microns unless it has been lengthened by diluting the chiral molecules with non-chiral ones or with further chiral molecules of the opposite handedness.
  • the Clark and Lagerwall paper previously referred to describe the bistable operation of a cell with a 1.5 micron thick layer of DOBAMBC or HOBACPC maintained in a C* phase with its smectic layers aligned in parallel planes perpendicular to the plane of the liquid crystal layer itself. Under these conditions it was observed that the tendency to helical arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules had been suppressed, and the authors attributed the bistable operation they found to this suppression of the helical structure by surface stabilisation.
  • the smectic phases C*, I* and F* can be used in three different ways.
  • Thin cells 1-3 microns thick in which the helix is unwound and the cell is bistable. The switching speed from one tilt domain to another is in the microsecond range. Optical contrast is achieved with crossed polarisers.
  • Thick cells where the helix is unwound. The cell is not bistable but the switching speed can still be in the microsecond range. This cell has similar viewing angle properties and contrast to a conventional twisting nematic device.
  • Thick cells where the helix is not unwound. The cell is not bistable and has similar properties to (2) ⁇ .
  • the present invention is concerned with ferroelectric liquid crystal cells having liquid crystal layer thicknesses significantly in excess of 3 microns that do exhibit bistability. More particularly the present invention is concerned with the discovery that the behaviour of I* and F* materials is sufficiently different from that of C* materials to allow the essentially bistable operation of I* and F* material filled cells having a liquid crystal layer thickness significantly greater than the limit in the region of 3 microns that is characteristic of known cells employing C* material. This bistability in I* and F* material filled cells does not necessarily require the surface stabilised suppression of the helices by virtue of the thinness of the liquid crystal layer.
  • a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell exhibiting bistability of operation, which cell has a smectic I* or F* phase liquid crystal layer confined between opposed electroded plates only one of whose inward facing surfaces have been treated to promote planar alignment of the adjacent liquid crystal molecules in a selected direction, which plates serve to define the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, said thickness being in the range from 4 to 40 microns.
  • liquid crystal layer thickness of less than 20 microns.
  • the invention also provides a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell exhibiting bistability of operation, which cell has a smectic I* or F* phase liquid crystal layer confined between opposed electroded plates only one of whose inward facing surfaces have been treated to promote planar alignment of the adjacent liquid crystal molecules in a selected direction, which plates serve to define a liquid crystal layer with bulk stabilised molecular alignment.
  • a pleochroic dye may be dispersed in the liquid crystal layer.
  • a hermetically sealed envelope for liquid crystal layer is formed by securing together two glass sheets 11 and 12 wtih a perimeter seal 13.
  • the inward facing surfaces of the two sheets carry transparent electrode layers 14 and 15 of indium tin oxide, and one of these electrode layers is covered within the display area defined by the perimeter seal with a polymer layer, such as polyimide (not shown), provided for molecular alignment purposes.
  • a polymer layer such as polyimide (not shown)
  • the thickness of the liquid crystal layer contained within the resulting envelope is determined by the thickness of the perimeter seal, and control over the precision of this may be provided by a light scattering of short lengths of glass fibre (not shown) of uniform diameter distributed through the material of the perimeter seal.
  • the cell is filled by applying a vacuum to an aperture (not shown) through one of the glass sheets in one corner of the area enclosed by the perimeter seal so as to cause the liquid crystal medium to enter the cell by way of another aperture (not shown) located in the diagonally opposite corner. (Subsequent to the filling operation the two apertures are sealed.)
  • the filling operation is carried out with the filling material heated into its isotropic phase so as to reduce its viscosity to a suitably low value.
  • the basic construction of the cell is similar to that of for instance a conventional twisted nematic, except of course for the fact that only one of the rubbing directions 15 is used.
  • the liquid crystal filling of a 10.7 micron thickness cell was the chiral ester ##STR1## this material being marketed by BDH under the designation CE8. When heating this material from the crystalline state the following transition temperatures were noted:

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
  • Nonlinear Science (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Liquid Crystal (AREA)
  • Liquid Crystal Substances (AREA)
US07/032,760 1986-04-01 1987-03-31 Ferroelectric liquid crystal cells having a helical liquid crystal structure Expired - Fee Related US4799775A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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GB8607953 1986-04-01
GB08607953A GB2188742A (en) 1986-04-01 1986-04-01 Ferroelectric liquid crystal cells

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US4799775A true US4799775A (en) 1989-01-24

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US (1) US4799775A (de)
EP (1) EP0241177A3 (de)
JP (1) JPS62257122A (de)
GB (1) GB2188742A (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5109295A (en) * 1988-05-12 1992-04-28 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. Liquid crystal electro-optical device wherein the ferroelectric liquid crystal layer does not form helices when the molecules take two stable states but form helices during the intermediate state
US5539555A (en) * 1990-07-20 1996-07-23 Displaytech, Inc. High contrast distorted helex effect electro-optic devices and tight ferroelectric pitch ferroelectric liquid crystal compositions useful therein

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2231989B (en) * 1989-05-24 1993-10-06 Stc Plc Neural networks
US5339090A (en) * 1989-06-23 1994-08-16 Northern Telecom Limited Spatial light modulators
JPH0389318A (ja) * 1989-09-01 1991-04-15 Toppan Printing Co Ltd 液晶カラー表示装置
DE59706003D1 (de) * 1996-11-21 2002-02-21 Rolic Ag Zug Bistabile ferroelektrische Flüssigkristallzelle

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2157451A (en) * 1984-03-09 1985-10-23 Canon Kk Liquid crystal device
GB2159635A (en) * 1984-04-16 1985-12-04 Canon Kk Liquid crystal device
US4563059A (en) * 1983-01-10 1986-01-07 Clark Noel A Surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal devices
GB2163273A (en) * 1984-07-13 1986-02-19 Canon Kk Liquid crystal device

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2166256B (en) * 1984-10-25 1988-06-08 Stc Plc Ferroelectric liquid crystal display cells
US4664480A (en) * 1985-04-26 1987-05-12 American Telephone And Telegraph Company, At&T Bell Laboratories Alignment technique for liquid crystal devices

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4563059A (en) * 1983-01-10 1986-01-07 Clark Noel A Surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal devices
GB2157451A (en) * 1984-03-09 1985-10-23 Canon Kk Liquid crystal device
GB2159635A (en) * 1984-04-16 1985-12-04 Canon Kk Liquid crystal device
GB2163273A (en) * 1984-07-13 1986-02-19 Canon Kk Liquid crystal device

Non-Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
`"Soliton Switch" in Chiral Smetic Liquid Crystals` by P. E. Cladis, H. R. Brand and P. L. Finn, Physical Review A vol. 28 No. 1 pp. 512-514 (Jul. 1983).
`Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Electo-Optics Using the Surface Stabilised Structure` by N. A. Clark, S. T. Lagerwall & M. N. Handschy. Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 1983, vol. 92 pp. 213-234.
`Smectic Liquid Crystal Textures and Structures` by G. W. Gray & J. W. Goodby (publ. Leonard Hill, 1984) p. 153.
`Submicrosecond Bistable Electro-Optic Switching in Liquid Crystals` by N. A. Clark and S. T. Lagerwall, Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 36 No. 11 pp. 889-901 Jun. 1980.
`Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Ferroelectric Smetic Liquid Crystals`, by J. W. Goodby Ferroelectrics, 1983 vol. 49 pp. 275-284.
Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Electo Optics Using the Surface Stabilised Structure by N. A. Clark, S. T. Lagerwall & M. N. Handschy. Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 1983, vol. 92 pp. 213 234. *
Smectic Liquid Crystal Textures and Structures by G. W. Gray & J. W. Goodby (publ. Leonard Hill, 1984) p. 153. *
Soliton Switch in Chiral Smetic Liquid Crystals by P. E. Cladis, H. R. Brand and P. L. Finn, Physical Review A vol. 28 No. 1 pp. 512 514 (Jul. 1983). *
Submicrosecond Bistable Electro Optic Switching in Liquid Crystals by N. A. Clark and S. T. Lagerwall, Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 36 No. 11 pp. 889 901 Jun. 1980. *
Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Ferroelectric Smetic Liquid Crystals , by J. W. Goodby Ferroelectrics, 1983 vol. 49 pp. 275 284. *

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5109295A (en) * 1988-05-12 1992-04-28 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. Liquid crystal electro-optical device wherein the ferroelectric liquid crystal layer does not form helices when the molecules take two stable states but form helices during the intermediate state
US5539555A (en) * 1990-07-20 1996-07-23 Displaytech, Inc. High contrast distorted helex effect electro-optic devices and tight ferroelectric pitch ferroelectric liquid crystal compositions useful therein
US5753139A (en) * 1990-07-20 1998-05-19 Displaytech, Inc. High contrast distorted helix effect electro-optic devices and tight ferroelectric pitch ferroelectric pitch ferroelectric liquid crystal compositions useful therein

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS62257122A (ja) 1987-11-09
EP0241177A3 (de) 1989-10-25
GB8607953D0 (en) 1986-05-08
GB2188742A (en) 1987-10-07
EP0241177A2 (de) 1987-10-14

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